Reaching
for goals
MatthewLofthouseis a third-yearBA Photojournalism
st udentat theUniversityof SouthWalesin Cardiff.
He specialises in sport. mlofthousepj.myportfolio.comacareer as a sports photographer is my
ultimate goal, but while studying photojournalism at
u n iversit y, i’ve taken any and every opportunity to try
a wide range of professional commissions in all fields.
as a result, i’ve been able to practise key skills, and i’ve
worked with Badminton Wales, Nhs Wales, the Welsh Fa,
south Wales police and cardiff council.
in the first year of my course, i spent time working
alongside the students on the sports journalism degree,
going to matches to help them with their imagery.
through this, i secured an internship with cardiff city
and now i shoot their home games.
each sport has its own set of challenges, and it’s only
through shooting such a variety that i’ve been able
to improve my technique. over the last few years i’ve
covered a wide range, including boxing, badminton,
american football, cricket, cycling, ice hockey, running,
softball, gymnastics, swimming, rugby and football. i’ve
also taken shots at several high-profile events, including
premier League and international football matches, and at
press conferences with Wales and cardiff city Fc. in the
mix, i’ve also taken shots of disability sports. these
powerful athletes are awe-inspiring, and i’ve shot blind
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, mixed ability rugby and para ice hockey.
Now, in the third and final year of my degree, i’m
tailoring my practice towards my career ambitions. i have
plenty of experience shooting action, but realised i lacked
the key skill of portraiture. so i started a project called
‘resilience in sport’, for which i interviewed and
photographed individuals who had continued to train
and compete in their chosen sport, despite serious injury
or illness. i used high-key flash lighting for this set of
images to collate a cohesive, stylised portfolio.
telling stories through my images is a key focus for me,
as a photojournalist. Notably, after a night out watching the
Welsh open snooker tournament, i saw ronnie o’sullivan
buying food for a homeless man and quickly snapped a shot
on my phone. i passed the imaged to the Walesonline website
who syndicated it internationally for me. Now i’m hoping
that was just a taste of things to come!Photojournalist MatthewLofthouse’s passion for
sport takes his shots tothe top of their game.student showcaseAboveMatthew’scommissionshaveledhimto shoota wide
rangeof sportingdisciplines,whilehis loveof thesubjecthas
driven his enthusiasm for getting the best out of each sport.88 p racticaL photography